Two Halves of a Whole
by Lady Elena Dawson
Summary: A series of short stories that revolve around Sparia, their relationships, and their battle with A. Currently working on story 1: Spencer goes missing in the dead of night, and Aria can't help but wonder why. Was it something she'd known, something she'd done? Toby and Aria team up to find out while Aria also deals with her own relationship issues. Takes place during season 4.
1. An Unexpected Foe 1

**A/N: This will be a collection of Sparia short stories (2-6 chapters) that take place during the show. Most of them will be crazy possibilities for season 4, but I might add ones for season three, season two, or maybe even season one.**

* * *

**Story 1: An Unexpected Foe**

**Summary: Spencer goes missing in the dead of night, and Aria can't help but wonder why. Was it something she'd known, something she'd done? Toby and Aria team up to find out while Aria also deals with her own relationship issues. Takes place during season 4.**

**Chapter 1**

"What are we doing out here again?"

The woods were damp and chilly at this time of night, and Aria wanted nothing more than to go back to Rosewood High and actually _enjoy_ a school dance. Instead, she was out traipsing in the woods in a shimmering silver gown, hair and makeup all done up. The whole ensemble probably took her two hours—and all so she could spend five minutes indoors where people could actually _see _the effort she put into her outfit. Now, according to Spencer, they were hot on A's trail—and all because of some stupid phone number a singing bird annoyingly repeated a thousand times.

"Do you ever listen to me? The panic room had directions leading into the forest scratched into the wall," Spencer explained as Aria rolled her eyes. In her opinion, Spencer was taking this _way _too seriously. After all, how many times had they fallen for tricks like this before? Paranoia was evident now.

"I know, I heard you," Aria sputtered, crinkling up her nose when a hairy spider scuttled up a tree. "But how do we know this isn't a trap?"

"Aria, we're getting closer to solving this whole thing. I can feel it!"

Spencer shined her flashlight over a large clearing and halted in her tracks. Aria, who was too distracted by her whining thoughts, almost toppled over in her studded heels. "_What_?" she hissed under her clenched teeth, rubbing her cold arms.

"This is it," Spencer whispered, and took the first step into the long grass.

Apprehensive, Aria glanced around before joining Spencer in the area encircled by trees. Above her, the stars shone down on them, but other than the occasional hoot of an owl and rattling leaves caused by a small nocturnal animal, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Spence!" Aria called in a quiet voice. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

But it was no use. Spencer was already smack-dab in the center, pounding her heeled foot on the ground.

Sighing, Aria looked both ways and studied the shadows again before picking up her hem and sprinting after her. "What are you doing?" she asked, wondering if Spencer was really losing it this time.

"Seeing if there's something hollow underneath this dirt," she replied like it was the most casual thing in the world.

"First a panic room, now an underground lair? Are you crazy, Spence?"

Before Spencer had the chance to answer, there came a loud _crack _of a branch snapping. Both girls looked up suspiciously and again glanced around the woods, but there was nothing. "It was just a raccoon," Spencer said to reassure both Aria and herself, but then came another audible, bustling sound.

Aria gulped as her body turned cold, and she clutched on to Spencer's arm. "Those aren't paws, Spence," Aria whispered. "Those are _feet_!"

However, neither person moved. Instead, Spencer held her head up and stayed as still as a deer in headlights, only her eyeballs moving back and forth, her ears waiting to pick up another sound to identify the direction. When another snap reached their eardrums, Aria panicked and started to tug on Spencer's bare arm. "We need to go. _Now_!"

"Wait," Spencer said calmly while grasping Aria's wrist and prying it off her. "Just wait."

"For what?" Aria exclaimed. "Our _death_?"

There came the rustle of leaves, and suddenly a dark figure appeared out of the bushes. Even Spencer looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin. Maybe this _was _a trap.

Grabbing Spencer's arm, Aria prepared herself to dart away. "It's time to go!" she cried, and the pair started running.

But the anonymous figure had its prey cornered, and he or she lunged and was right on their heels.

…

Meanwhile, at the dance, Hanna and Emily stood glumly in a corner as they waited for news from Spencer and Aria. "How long did they say they'd be gone?" Emily asked nervously, her eyebrows crinkling.

"They weren't sure," Hanna replied. Though she didn't want to voice it, her stomach was in knots.

Suddenly, a looming figure became visible in the bobbing crowd, and he appeared to be searching for someone, two drinks in hand. Then his eyes caught the two girls hiding in the dark. "Shoot!" Hanna hissed. "He saw us. What do we say?"

"Tell him she went out for some fresh air," Emily responded, but she highly doubted he would believe that for more than five minutes. Next, the girls straightened their backs and put pleasing smiles on their faces, pretending to have a fun conversation.

"Hey," Jake said as he approached them. "Have you seen Aria?"

Out of nowhere, Toby popped up next to him. "And Spencer?"

"O-oh," Hanna stammered. "They both went out for some fresh air."

Toby didn't look convinced. "I already checked the parking lot," he said coldly. "Her car is gone."

Startled out of their words, Emily and Hanna just stared dumbly at the two. To make things worse, Caleb caught sight of them and strutted over, slightly angry. "I've been looking all over for you," he said to Hanna with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

Hanna opened her mouth to make up something when Emily grasped her wrist with her clammy hand. "It's Aria," she said, indicating to her phone, which was lighting up. "Hello?"

"Emily!" Aria cried on the other end, and she sounded like she was out of breath. Immediately alarm set over Toby's face, the only person close enough besides Hanna to hear the conversation.

"Aria, where are you?" Emily asked. She didn't like where this was going.

"The panic room led us here," Aria panted. "We went to the woods, but—" Her voice was cut off by a scream and the line went dead, and instantaneously Emily's hopeful face had paled considerably.

"What happened?" Hanna asked. She felt tears stinging at the back of her eyes.

"Aria answered the phone, b-but," Emily could barely explain it, she felt so numb. "The line went dead, and there was a scream, and—"

"We have to go find them!" Hanna interrupted. Of course, Caleb and Toby picked up on the urgency, but Jake was just plain confused. "What's going on?"

The last thing Hanna and Emily wanted to do was explain A to someone they weren't completely sure they trusted. "J-just, stay here!" Hanna commanded, but Jake took an intimidating step forward.

"What, is Aria hurt?" Worry creased his forehead.

Ready to shoot out some excuse ("girl problems" was always a good one), the group that was once just Hanna and Emily was joined by yet another member. "Is someone hurt?"

It was Ezra—er, Mr. Fitz. He must have been passing by as a chaperone when he overheard Jake's comment. Scratch A: the last thing they needed was an ex-boyfriend-and-current-teacher thrown in the mix. How would you explain that one to the police?

However, Emily got to it first. "Aria and Spencer are out in the woods next to the park searching for something. Aria called and she sounded like she was in trouble, but the call ended with a scream," she blurted out, receiving a warning punch to the arm from Hanna.

Ezra's face lost all of its color. "A scream?"

"Yes. We're leaving now."

"If there are students in danger, I should come with you." Ezra added quickly, "As protection."

Emily didn't have the time to refuse. All she could think about were Aria and Spencer…and A. "All right," she said rapidly. "Let's go then."

…

"Spencer!" Aria cried out in the dark as she continued to dart her way past trees. She had fallen once and Spencer had forged ahead, zooming away in the other direction as to throw off whoever the person in the black hoodie was—A's pawn, probably. She could hear other footsteps other than her own, but she refused to look over her shoulder.

"Aria!" came Spencer's voice, and all the air in Aria's burning lungs was squeezed out in relief.

Carefully, Aria pulled out her phone and dialed Emily's number, tears wanting to spill out of her eyes when she heard her friend's sweet voice. "Emily!"

"Aria, where are you?" She could make out the thudding bass of the DJ in the background.

"The panic room led us here," Aria began to explain, begging that this wouldn't be her last day on Earth. There were so many things she still had to settle with her mom, her brother—even Ezra. "We went to the woods, but—"

Aria let out a horrified scream as she came tumbling to the ground, her ankle having given out from under her. Her cell phone had skidded across the leaves, ending her call. The scratchy leaves and torn branches dug into her palms as she struggled to stand up, but she realized she couldn't. "Spencer!" she cried, spots appearing in front of her eyes—the ultimate sign of a panic attack.

"Don't be afraid," came a strangely familiar voice, and Aria whipped her head around. But there was no one there.

Apparently it was a bad idea to turn around, because the next thing Aria remembered besides the blood pounding in her ears and her raspy voice breathing heavily was the cold sensation of a wet rag over her mouth being held by a black glove. In her last moments of consciousness, she was able to make out a person in a red coat stepping out from behind a tree, her shoulders covered in blonde curls. "Don't worry," soothed the woman as her face came closer. The images in front of her warped and blurred. "I won't hurt you."

A gasp trapped itself in her throat as the face became clear. It was Alison.

…

The drive to the forest was, in one word, tense. Hanna had flung herself into the driver's seat and hurried everyone into filing into the car. Emily was next to her, looking like she was about to be sick.

Behind her were Caleb and Toby, and in the backseat were Jake and Ezra—probably a bad idea, but they were rushed.

"You shouldn't be driving, Hanna," Caleb said calmly as she swerved around a corner. "You're upset."

"No!" Hanna snapped. "Driving relaxes me." Following the silence, Ezra cleared his throat.

Staring in the rearview mirror, Emily saw Ezra look down at a clueless Jake with a scorching glare in his eyes. When Jake had the suspicion that someone was looking at him, he glanced at Ezra next to him, who quickly averted his eyes to the passing scenery. Yes, there was some obvious tension in the backseat.

While the large group drove to their destination, Aria opened her eyes to the bright streetlights of the park parking lot. In front of her was the wooden table her and Ezra used to sit at whenever they decided to do homework—or actual work, in Ezra's case—and there was Spencer's car in its lonesome.

Spencer.

Darting up from the tree trunk she'd been propped up against, Aria whipped her head side to side. The fluorescent light threw creepy shadows on the pavement, but there was no reflection of skin.

There was no Spencer.

Reaching for her phone which thankfully hadn't been smashed, Aria tapped out Emily's number on the cracked screen and tried to calm herself down; she could already feel herself hyperventilating.

In the car, the quiet was broken by Emily's ringtone. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was, and she rapidly answered. "Aria?" she cried out in disbelief.

"Emily!" As soon as she heard Aria's sobs through the speakers, Hanna begged for Emily to put it on speakerphone.

"Hold on," Emily said. "I'm putting you on speaker."

"Aria, are you okay?" Hanna asked as though she was a speaker for 911.

"I-I think so. My ankle hurts," she sniffled, and released a pent-up cry. "I d-don't remember anything."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Emily asked, concerned.

"Um," Aria mumbled. "I was in the woods, and I fell, and then someone put something cold under my nose… There was Alison in a red coat…"

"Wait, _Alison_?" Caleb spoke up. "As in _dead_ Alison?"

Again, Aria sniffled. "Yes." A whimper, then she added, "Mona was right. She looked _just _like Ali."

"No, Aria," Emily opposed. "Alison is dead, okay? We went to her funeral. _Twice._"

Rounding the corner, the park came into view. Aria was easy to make out, slumped against a tree in her shimmering dress. Before Hanna even had a chance to park the car and turn off the engine, Emily had bolted out and encased her crying friend in a hug.

"It was Ali," Aria sobbed into Emily's shoulder. Her eyes were so clouded by tears, but she could make out Jake running over and squatting next to her. Wiping her nose, she pulled away from Emily's embrace. "Spencer's gone."

"What?" Toby yelled, alarmed.

"We were running and she was ahead of me," Aria explained, but she spoke up again when she saw Toby dart into the woods. "It's no use, Toby! She's gone!"

"But gone where?" she heard him call back, his feet passing through crinkling leaves. "I'll search this whole forest if I have to."

But Aria doubted Spencer was in the forest. A was too clever for that.

While Hanna cleaned up her face, Aria smiled appreciatively at Jake, who was checking out her swollen ankle. However, as her eyes cleared up, she saw someone watching reluctantly, leaning on the car at a distance. "Ezra?" she called out uncertainly, and she didn't notice Jake look up at her, studying her face. Unfortunately, he came up with a deep kind of emotion that she lacked for him.

Ezra took that as his cue to approach. "Aria, are you okay?"

Aria nodded her head, a wide grin spreading on her lip, which was cut from her fall. "I'll be fine. I—"

"Here, let's see if you can stand up," Jake interrupted the conversation.

Slowly, Aria put one arm around Jake's shoulder and allowed him to aid her in standing up. Her round, hazel eyes met his brown ones as soon as she was upright. Their heads were so close, but Aria made no move of affection. Instead, she just smiled thankfully at him and attempted to walk onto the pavement.

But luck wasn't in for her. Just because her ankle was wrapped didn't mean it was better. She came tumbling down—and right into Ezra's arms.

"Sorry," she breathed out after she fell onto his chest.

"It's fine," Ezra whispered, and Aria blushed and avoided his gaze. Then he pointed at the park table. "Let's go sit over there, okay?"

Aria tried to stop the giddy feelings that overwhelmed her when Ezra wrapped a sturdy arm around her waist. Daringly he intertwined his fingers with hers, and she looked down at her small, dainty hand in his large, writer's one.

But the moment ended too soon, and he sat across from her after she took a spot on the seat. Jake came over and offered her his jacket before cautiously sitting next to her.

From what she could see, Emily and Toby were in the woods and Caleb and Hanna were in some heated discussion near the edge of the forest. That's when Aria realized that she was surrounded by people who had no clue about this new A, and that they were probably dying to know what happened. The air became awkward.

Emily came rushing out of the woods and to Aria's side, skeptical. "Are you sure what you saw?"

"Yes," Aria stressed, pulling Jake's jacket closer around her shivering body. "It was Alison."

Emily gave her a look that said, "You're crazy."

"Remember the lake house, Em?" Aria spat. "It's not like I'm the only one."

Then Toby came running out of the forest, a scrap of Spencer's dress in his hands. He looked weak and broken, and he had been crying by the looks of his wet eyes and nose. "She's gone," he finally admitted, and Aria's hopeful face fell.

A cold, slimy feeling passed through her, though, when she caught sight of the fabric in Toby's hand. Because on it was a stain.

The scrap was stained with Spencer's blood.


	2. An Unexpected Foe 2

**Chapter 2**

After the police arrived, the initial shock of the situation had left Aria limp and completely worn out. The last thing she wanted was an interrogation from the police—after all, that included not only having to recount her story again, but having the worry of what might happen to her if she exposed A—but Toby had already called despite the girls' protests. When Aria had tugged on his arm and begged him to stop, he had roughly pushed her aside, making her stumble awkwardly into both—surprise, surprise—Jake and Ezra.

Now, wiping the dirt being washed off her face by her tears of dread, Aria retold the police what she remembered.

"Why were you out in the woods tonight?" asked the first policeman that reminded Aria of an older Ryan Reynolds.

"Um," Aria mumbled, her tongue stumbling. "We were having a horrible time at the party, so we decided to go on a walk through the woods for the heck of it." She didn't acknowledge Jake's hurt face when he heard her side of the story; she wanted to tell him that she was actually having a great time, but Spencer had better plans for them, like sniffing out A for the umpteenth time.

"When was the last time you saw your friend?" the other policeman asked. He glanced down at his notepad. "Miss Spencer Hastings?"

Aria looked past his shoulder and saw her friends, their eyes swollen as much as hers. They'd all started a fresh bout of sobbing when Toby emerged with the torn fabric. Hanna was leaning against Caleb, her head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her; if he wasn't supporting her, she would have fallen. Emily crossed her arms at her chest, paler than usual.

"Miss Montgomery?" It was the policeman's voice again, disrupting her gaze.

A warm hand was placed on Aria's shoulder, and she looked up and sent a small, grateful smile to Jake. His expression said, _You can do this. For Spencer's sake._

Awkwardly a few feet behind stood Ezra. Aria so badly wanted to be in his arms right now, just like in the many other times she needed comfort, but she knew that with the police around she couldn't.

Wait. Why was she thinking about Ezra when she had Jake? Yes, it was so nice of him to leave the dance for her—gossip probably spreading back at the school—and possibly risk his job too, but she couldn't go back to him. She was too young to be tied down with such adult responsibilities. She had entered the relationship prepared to fight all odds, but she never questioned to what extent she would keep fighting, to at what point she would need to step back and breathe.

Snapping out of her mental soliloquy, Aria rolled back her shoulders and played with her dirtied fingers in her lap. "When we were running away from that person," she finally replied, digging some soil out of her nail to avoid his eyes. "I had tripped and I told her to keep running. I don't remember hearing a scream or anything."

The policeman finished jotting down his notes, and Aria sighed in relief. Finally, she wouldn't have to repeat that crazy story. She found it odd, though, that they hadn't asked her if she knew who the person was.

The kind one, the one who looked like Ryan Reynolds, smiled sympathetically at Aria. "Do you need us to drive anyone home?"

Aria shook her head. "I'm sure one of my friends would be happy to do that."

Ryan Lookalike glanced skeptically around at the scene in front of them, of Hanna leaning on Caleb's shoulder and Emily looking like she just saw a mound of dead people. "Then we'll get out of your hair." He started to walk away, and Aria's shoulders relaxed in relief. However, they stiffened when he turned back around. "We'll try to help your friend. But I must remind you that we can't do much of anything until twenty-four hours have passed. That's when we consider a missing persons investigation."

"I know," Aria said, and she didn't know how she was still breathing; her lungs felt so chalked up with dread and cold.

As soon as the policemen drove away, everyone was draped in a heavy silence. Aria felt Jake's calloused hand on her shoulder be replaced by one that was much softer. Looking up, it was Ezra. "I can drive you home."

Aria hesitated. "Um…" She watched as Jake went to Emily and Toby, who had just pulled each other in for a hug. She could faintly make out Emily telling Toby that everything was going to be all right, that Spencer was the bravest out of all of them, and Jake interrupted asking if there was anything he could do.

Jake. The sweet guy she was using to try and get over Ezra.

Reluctantly, she put her dirtied hand over his and pried it easily off her shoulder. Her dress glittered in the moonlight as she stood up and faced him, shrugging. "I don't think that's a good idea…" His face looked different, like he was broken. "I'm sorry."

Before she did something regrettable, Aria turned on her heel and joined the group. She opened her mouth to say something, but her words were interrupted by Hanna's phone beeping. "New email," she read aloud, shuddering. Caleb squeezed her shoulder protectively.

No one did anything.

"Well, open it," Emily stated as her and Toby leaned over, Jake trying to sneak a peek. Aria turned around with a sigh and saw Ezra sitting down at the table, alone.

"It's a message from A," Hanna said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "'Think you know what's going on in your pretty little world? Think again.'" Swallowing, she finished the note. "'She knew too much, but Aria didn't. Hide the facts or this will be you next. A.'"

There was an attachment to the email leading to a video. Aria gasped when she was met with her drowsy face, a voice that sounded female whispering in the background. "She's awake!" the background voice exclaimed, and the camera, which had been shaky, focused clearly on Aria's face.

Slowly Aria's eyes opened, and immediately they were filled with tears. "W-where's Spencer?" she slurred, and she struggled from the bonds that restricted her hands. Then her eyes landed on the person holding the camera, and they widened in shock. "A-Alison?"

"Don't be afraid," the cameraperson said as Aria scrunched her eyes shut in denial. "You don't have to. But Spencer does." With that, Aria's eyes shot open.

"What did you do to Spencer?" she demanded, but her voice squeaked and made her feel vulnerable.

"She's about to die young." Suddenly, a gloved hand appeared in the shadows behind Aria and covered her mouth with a wet rag. She struggled before going limp.

"That's immortality, my darlings." And the screen went black.

First, no words were exchanged. Aria's head was too busy racing, trying to remember what she'd just seen, but for some reason she couldn't conjure it up. Then Jake spoke up. "What did we just watch?"

Hanna looked up from her phone at Aria, whose complexion had turned paler than the moonlight, making her look like a _Twilight _character. "I-I don't remember that," she stuttered, eyes wide in fear.

Again, Jake attempted to get everyone's attention. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Emily was the next to say something. "Are you sure you can't remember anything?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Aria exclaimed as panic rushed over her.

"So you can't remember if the girl taking the video was Alison?" Caleb asked.

Finally, Aria exploded. "No, I don't!" she shrieked, tears slipping down her cheeks at a record speed. "I told you I can't remember!"

"Guys, leave her alone," Jake said while putting a protective hand on Aria's shoulder. He'd finally given up on understanding the situation. "It's been a long night."

Meanwhile, Ezra heard the commotion and was about go over and ask what was going on when his phone chimed…at the same time Aria's did.

Distressed, Aria pulled out her phone and opened the text without another thought. She was about ready to be sick, but the rising bile came crashing down to the pit of her stomach when she saw who it was from.

_He's about the find out. –A_

Curious, Aria opened the attachment it was sent with. It was a picture of a birth certificate; she recognized Malcolm's name was on the top. Below it read Maggie's maiden name, but the father listed...wasn't Ezra.

Spinning around, Aria saw Ezra, who was now standing, read something on his phone before collapsing back down on the seat. Everyone was headed back to the cars, and Jake pulled on her arm. "Let's get you home, Aria." But she didn't move.

Instead, when she did, she ran towards Ezra. She was panting by the time she reached him, and tears dotted the corners of both of their eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered before encasing him in a hug. At first, it felt like hugging rubber, but then Ezra snapped out of his daydreams and realized that Aria really was crouched on her knees in front of him, her head on his shoulder and arms around his neck. He gave in and weakly embraced her back, and her soft touch helped soften the blow of what he'd just received.

More tears slid down Aria's cheeks as she held him closer. "I'm so sorry," she repeated. And this time she felt like she was apologizing for more than she was willing to admit.

…

The next morning, Aria was pulled out of bed by a wide-awake Toby. Though he hadn't slept a wink, he looked a lot better than Aria did, who'd also tossed and turned all night. Her mind was way too occupied with worry for Spencer and confusion about where she stood with Ezra and Jake for her to clear it and sleep.

"We need to find out what A wants," Toby explained as Aria blinked her dry eyes. "For Spencer, we need to. Maybe we can make an exchange. Spencer for a key piece of information A wants…"

"Toby, we can't just make a deal with A," Aria sighed. "What are you suggesting?" She groaned as a migraine threatened to make her bad day even worse.

"Spencer's out there somewhere. She may be hurt." Toby's face became stern, and she knew there was no joking anymore. "We're going to solve this A mystery once and for all," he said. "And you're going to help me."


	3. An Unexpected Foe 3

**Chapter 3**

Aria wished she could joke about her current situation and say that her and Toby should be the next _CSI. _But her best friend, and his girlfriend, was missing, and her better judgment told her that the fun should be saved for when Spencer was safe at home again.

There was the squeak of a marker as Toby jotted down something and stuck the sticky note on long sheet of art paper. Aria had rummaged through her closet and found it behind a mound of forgotten art supplies. The duo was using it as a timeline to map out yesterday from morning to night.

"Spencer woke me up yesterday morning saying that she had found something important," Aria was telling Toby as he put the first Post-It at the start of the poster.

As their careful investigation continued, lunch was nearing and Toby excused himself to the bathroom. _Finally_, Aria thought.

After she heard the bathroom door slam, Aria rapidly reached for her phone and turned it on, jiggling her foot from anxiety. Toby had forbidden cell phone use, and though Aria wasn't Spencer smart, she was smart enough to know that now was not a good time to cross him. As soon as the device warmed up, two text messages pinged in her inbox.

The first was from Jake. _Hope you feel better today, _he said. _Meet up later for some Jackie Chan and takeout?_

Smiling, Aria texted back a yes for later, but her smile faded when she saw who sent the next message. Blinking, she was certain her eyes weren't deceiving her.

It was from Ezra. With a shaky thumb, she opened it.

_Sending out my best wishes_. No "Aria, Malcolm's not a part of my life anymore, I want you back" or "Hey, stay out of trouble, I love you too much to see you get hurt."

Then she realized she was being selfish for even thinking that and that maybe she had to accept the fact that Ezra wouldn't want her back if she said, "So you're not a dad. Let's get back together."

Toby entered the room at that moment and Aria sent her phone flying, landing safely on her pillow. "Sorry," she mumbled as her face flushed red. "I just wanted to check my texts."

As sick with worry as Toby was right now, he still had a heart. And as Spencer would have said, "Toby could never be cruel. His heart is pure gold." So Aria felt a little bad for expecting the worst, such as a screaming match, when Toby just smiled and retrieved her phone for her. "You don't need to apologize for having a social life, Aria," he said. "I'm just surprised you can still think about it with all that's going on."

"Well, it helps me cope," she explained and took the phone out of his hand. But before she could shove it in her pocket, he saw the text from Ezra light up.

"I wasn't looking for it…," Toby began as he settled back down on the floor. He could see the war going on just by looking at Aria's face, and he assumed that she was thinking about her romantic situation more to distract herself from what was going on with A and Spencer. "…but it seems like you have problems of your own." Aria visibly sighed as her shoulders moved up and down. "Care to share?"

Aria always hated showing heartbreak when it came to breakups. For her, a boy shouldn't have that much control over her life. Yet, she thought of Spencer and her feministic ways, and how she'd still grieved over Toby despite having the same beliefs as Aria. "I haven't really talked to my friends about it," she explained honestly. It surprised her how easy it was to talk to Toby, since he was more of Emily's friend if you excluded Spencer. "Even when I'm with Jake, it's like…_he's _still in the back of my mind." There. She said it. And now that she did, she felt like a whole load had just whooshed off her shoulders.

But a part of her called her egocentric, though. Her best friend was _missing _and possibly hurt, and she was thinking about boys?

"Aria," Toby said after a moment. Aria's heart was thudding nervously. This was it: He was either going to tell her he wasn't worth pining for or that she should run back to him. "Spencer told me about Ezra. About his son." In the back of her head, Aria was embarrassed that her boyfriend was old enough to even have a son. "And then what A revealed last night…" Aria had cried in the car about it on the ride home. "…maybe the universe is trying to tell you something."

_Shoot, _Aria thought. She knew exactly where this was going…and she didn't want to hear it again. "I know what you mean," Aria said, and with that they went back to work.

…

After a quick lunch, Aria was about ready to give up on remembering anything. She and Toby both thought that if they outlined the day start to finish, something would sneak up on her. But now all that snuck up on her was indescribable frustration.

"I don't get it!" Tears pricked at Aria's eyes. "I thought I'd be able to remember something, anything! Spencer could be in trouble and I can't remember one single thing that can help her."

"Aria, it's okay," Toby reassured her. "Eventually we'll be one step closer to solving this thing."

Something tickled in the back of Aria's memory. Spencer, her eyes round with some unexplainable emotion printed in it. _There's something I have to tell you tonight, _she had said.

And how determined she was to bring her out there, even though a part of Aria's head was telling her that there was zilch in that creepy forest. _Aria, we're getting closer to solving this whole thing. I can feel it!_

And how desperate Spencer looked when she tried to dismiss the rustles and cracks as nothing. _Wait. Just wait._

"What is it, Aria?" Toby asked apprehensively as the color drained from Aria's face.

"She was trying to tell me something," Aria stammered, though she wasn't sure if she said that aloud or not. "There were no directions to the middle of nowhere." She grabbed Toby's arm frantically. "She _knew_ something, Toby! And whoever this A person is didn't like it."

Toby pulled out the bloody scrap he'd refused to give up to the police, claiming that the anger he felt created a drive even when he was ready to lose hope. "So he hurt her to make her shut up."

"Toby," she said, a new gleam in her eyes. "I think we may have found something important."

…

The little amount of afternoon light seeping through the cracks made Spencer's eyes burn as they fluttered open. Her mouth was dry, her head was throbbing, and the cut she had made when A had knocked her out had stopped bleeding.

She'd been kept hostage for a night now. But why was she in a barren room and not bound up in a chair like yesterday?

Moaning, Spencer got up on her wobbly knees and made her way to the door. Pressing her ear against it, she couldn't make out a sound. Where was she?

When she tried the door, she was surprised to find it unlocked…and that she was met with an endless amount of trees.

Stepping out, she saw that the room she'd been kept in was practically underground and hidden. But where in the world was she?

There was no time to ponder that, though. Lifting her ripped skirt in her hands, she glanced back and forth to see if anyone was coming and made a run for it.

…

That evening, Aria found herself walking back home from Jake's house after a fun movie date that had involved Kung Fu, buttered popcorn, and a few stolen kisses. But why was she taking the long way home?

After figuring out that Spencer was trying to tell Aria something and not search for A clues, Toby had returned to the forest to see if A had left anything useful. He texted her saying that he found nothing and asking her if she wanted to go looking tomorrow before the police did.

Aria needed some air to clear her head, but the questions kept rising. What was Spencer trying to tell her? And why did A intervene?

She was passing by Snookers when she found herself slowing down to a stop. Over a year ago she'd found herself in the little college bar, dreading her junior year which was starting the next day. Tonight no one was there, just like that Sunday afternoon, except for Ezra.

Wait... _Ezra?_

Aria squinted and approached the window. The bartender was obviously annoyed at Ezra, who was swaying in his seat. As he got off the stool and walked out the door, Aria stopped him. "Ezra," she said, wanting to slap herself afterwards.

He turned around and rubbed his eyes like he was dreaming and trying to wake up. When he blinked and she was still there, he cocked his head. "Aria?" he slurred.

Aria sighed, now understanding the bartender's attitude. "You're drunk," she stated.

"And you're not," he replied.

"No," she said with a smile. "I'm not." He groaned, and she rolled her eyes. "Where are your keys?"

"Why do you care?" he mumbled.

"Because you're not driving like that," she responded sternly. "So where are your keys?"

He sighed as though he was barely awake. God, he was wasted. "They're in my jacket pocket. The right one." He leaned his head against a lamppost and groaned again. "You can get it."

Biting her lip, Aria approached him without another thought and reached her hand into his pocket. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist, but it wasn't in an angry way; instead, she could tell he was hurt. "What are you doing here, Aria?" he asked, and if it wasn't for his bad posture she would have believed he was sober.

When she swallowed, her Adam's apple bobbed. "What do you mean?" she asked while trying to ignore the warmth of his hand on her skin.

"You left me, remember?" he muttered. "I never thought you were the type to mess around with broken hearts."

He let go of her wrist, and it fell limply to her side. "I'm not playing with you," she said softly. "I'm just trying to get _over _you."

"One minute you're telling me to stay away, the next you're thanking me for helping out your brother? Even you know it. Whatever you're trying to do isn't working, and it's killing me." He dropped his voice to a whisper and took a step forward, and she allowed his thumb to graze her cheek. "So what are you doing here, Aria?"

Her heart was pounding like it was planning to jump right out of her chest. She knew he was drunk, that his reason was turned off; but at that moment, she was ready to give in. However, she pushed aside her strong feelings and cleared her throat. "I'm here helping out a friend," she replied strongly. She opened the passenger door for him and got into the driver's seat. "Now, get in."

The drive was mostly silent up until the end. "So, this Jake," Ezra spoke up. "Is he a keeper?"

"What?" Aria scoffed. "Just because we're seeing each other doesn't mean—"

"God, I'm not accusing you of marrying the guy, Aria." Ezra's voice increased in volume. "You can stop acting so defensive."

Anger bubbled up Aria's throat, and her hands clenched tighter around the wheel. "I'm not defensive."

"You are," Ezra said. The car was silent before he spoke up again. "Do you really believe his sweet act?"

Aria came to a halt at a stop light, her foot wanting to slam down and break the pedal. "What are you talking about now?"

"Jake. Do you really think he's as nice as he seems?"

The light turned green and it took all of Aria's energy to not press down on the accelerator either. "He is sweet. And we never fight." Ezra's apartment was in the near distance, she pulled up to the curb before stopping and putting the car in park. She turned to Ezra. "What are you saying?"

"I don't get a good feeling around the guy," Ezra said, cringing when he leaned forward and was met by the lamppost light seeping in above the windshield.

"You're just saying that because you're jealous," Aria blurted out before she could stop herself.

"_Jealous_?" Ezra exclaimed. "You think I'm the jealous one?" He snorted. "Remember Jackie? And Simone?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "You want to know why we broke up, Ezra?" She kicked open the door, but nothing could stop the tears. "Because I was tired of you ignoring me, even when I tried to reach out to you!" In the spur of the moment, she slammed the door and started down the sidewalk.

"My life was turned upside down!" Ezra cried out to her as he got out of the car and followed her. "I would have given you space if the same had happened to you." He added quickly, "And it's not like I never said I missed you."

"You don't know anything about my life anymore!" Aria shouted back, stunning him in his tracks. As she kept her fast pace, she thanked the Lord that her voice didn't crack from the tears spilling down her cheeks.

And for once it wasn't because of A.


	4. An Unexpected Foe 4

**A/N: Double update!**

**Chapter 4**

Not uncommon, Aria found herself staying up most of the night sobbing—but she didn't exactly know what she was crying for. Ezra, maybe, and what they once had; and Spencer for disappearing with no trace. Toby for being so kind to her in her time of need, and Jake, too, for being there with open arms…

It was nearing eight in the morning when Aria received the call. Sniffling, she picked up her phone from her nightstand and read the caller ID: Toby. "Hey, Toby," she croaked into the receiver, and she knew right away that she sounded pathetic.

"Are you okay?" Toby asked, concerned.

Aria's bottom lip trembled and she managed to sputter a strained "No."

"Why?" There it was again, that sincerity and kindness…and pity.

"I wish Spencer was here," Aria cried into the phone, her hazel eyes covered in a gleam of salty tears. "And I wish I knew where to start looking."

"Me too, Aria." Toby's voice cracked from an emotion he'd been choking down since that night. "Me too."

…

After finding a lake and some berries, Spencer had settled down for the night and curled up under a leafy tree, shivering. But she still woke up just as cold, just as hungry, and just as parched as the day she escaped from A so easily.

_Why_ so easily?

Stretching out, she felt and heard her joints crack back into place. As she lied on her back, she stared up at the sun peeking through the leaves. If she wasn't so beaten up and nearing her deathbed, she would have enjoyed the scenery.

Then, her phone rang. Startled, she jumped up and lunged for it.

Last night there was no service, no matter how long she traveled. Now, there was one tiny bar of hope.

All she got, though, was a note from A.

_Can you keep a secret? What you know can hurt you—or maybe one of your BFFs. –A _

Oh, yeah, Spencer _had _told A what she'd learned. She'd yelled it at the top of her lungs while she was bound to that chair, wondering if A was out there listening and if Aria was all right. So A had mistaken Spencer's information as something more threatening to them, but in reality, it had nothing to do with A.

But it did have to do with someone else.

And now A had let her roam free.

…

Meanwhile, Toby and Aria were prepping at the edge of the forest for the hunt. Aria wore a pair of protective cargo pants from the wayward branches, a comfy sweatshirt, and no makeup—and she'd been biting her lip anxiously the whole morning.

"You need to stop before you start to bleed," Toby spoke up when he saw her gnawing again.

"Shut up," Aria sighed, but it wasn't that serious.

Grunting, Toby swung the large backpack full of water, food, a notepad, and a first aid kit onto his back. "Ready?" he asked.

Aria easily put on her own backpack which was much smaller, full of a change of clothes for if they found Spencer and her own bottle of water. "Ready."

The two started trudging through the forest. No words were exchanged. Instead, they just marched ahead.

All was silent—until Aria's phone started blaring its ringtone.

Glancing down at the caller ID, Aria's face paled, and a strange, cold sensation washed over her. It was Spencer.

"Spencer?" she exclaimed into the phone, tears already pouring down her cheeks. Toby came rushing to Aria's side when he noticed she'd stopped and heard the beautiful name.

"Aria!" Spencer cried into the phone, barely comprehendible she was sobbing so hard. "It's so good to hear your voice. I thought I never would again."

"Spence, where are you?" Aria sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Toby listened intently and patiently.

"I don't know," Spencer replied honestly. "Are there many lakes in the Rosewood forest?"

"The lake," Toby said determinedly. "I know where that is!" And he darted off in the right direction.

Aria started running after him. "We're on the way, Spence. Don't go anywhere." With that, she hung up the phone and focused on keeping her eyes on Toby.

It wasn't long until they rounded a large tree and saw the lake, a figure standing on the other side. "Spencer!" Toby screamed, followed by Aria also yelling her name.

A wave of relief washed over Spencer as soon as her body crashed into Toby's arms. Immediately her tears were wetting his shoulder, and he picked her up off the ground in a heavenly embrace. "You're okay," he kept repeating, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the blissful moment of being in Toby's arms again when she believed she never would.

When she finally opened them, she was met by Aria's tear-stained face, her lips wobbling as all the built-up tension dissipated. Reluctantly, she released herself from Toby's gravity-defying grasp. "Aria," she whispered, pulling her friend into a well-needed hug.

"I imagined the worst," Aria said, her nasal passages stuffy.

"A let me go after they knew I had nothing on them," Spencer explained before releasing her arms and looking her best friend directly in the eye.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Aria opened her cracked mouth. "And what is that?"

Spencer let go of Aria's elbows and looked down at the ground, smoothing out her ruined dress. "Oh my God!" Toby exclaimed when he saw the huge gash on Spencer's leg.

"You know what," Aria said when she recognized the overwhelmed expression on Spencer's face, and taking her arm. "That can all wait later. Let's get you home, okay?"

As the three walked away, crooked elbow in crooked elbow, Aria leaned her head down on Spencer's shoulder and sighed. "I'm _so_ glad you're okay."

Spencer smiled up at Toby before relaxing her head on Aria's. "You're tiny," she started, causing the short girl to snort, "but you have a big heart."

Aria gulped, her throat suddenly dry. With all that's been going on with Jake and Ezra, she sure didn't feel like she had a big heart. But that was something she'd needed to hear after a long time. "Thank you, Spence," she replied with a small grin. "That means a lot coming from you."

…

After a long, hot shower, a change of clothes, a warm meal, and a cup of coffee, Spencer was revived and now getting her wounds checked out.

"Ouch," she muttered when Toby dabbed alcohol on her cut.

"I warned you," Toby said, adding a _tsk._

"I wasn't blaming you," Spencer mumbled, flipping her wet hair over her shoulder.

"Hey." Toby stopped his inspection and placed his hand tenderly on Spencer's cheek. "You're alive and healthy." Then his face hardened. "I don't know what I would've done if you were seriously hurt."

Spencer's heart swelled as it always did when Toby showed his loving compassion. Every time he did, she found herself falling more deeply in love with him. "I'm so glad I took up French tutoring," she said with a smirk.

"And I'm so glad I let you into my messed-up life." His face was now looming closer to Spencer's, her eyelashes almost touching his cheek. Slowly, she closed the distance between them and left a sweet, gentle peck on his lips.

Aria watched the exchange while trying to make sense of her own broken heart. Spencer and Toby had their foreheads touching, and Toby whispered something in Spencer's ear that made her blush and slap him jokingly on the arm. Sadly, Aria remembered when Ezra would do the same thing, always saying something dirty or complimentary that made her flush. Would she ever relive moments like that again with someone else?

Or maybe he had broken her.

"Spencer," Aria spoke up without meaning to. In all honesty, she felt like an awkward third wheel. The seriousness in her voice caught Spencer's attention. "I need to talk to you about something."

Muttering something inaudibly to Toby, Spencer slid off the kitchen counter and trudged over to the couch before sitting next to Aria, distress etched on her face. "What is it?"

Aria's throat tightened and felt the familiar lump form in the back of her throat as she took ahold of Spencer's hand. Compared to her clammy, cold one, Spencer's was surprisingly warm and dry. "I…"

"Sweetie, is something wrong?" Spencer readjusted herself so she more easily faced Aria, and she squeezed Aria's hand, hard, in support.

"The night you disappeared A revealed that Malcolm wasn't Ezra's son," Aria explained in a croaky voice. "And now that you're back, I've been thinking about it more and more, and I…"

Spencer hushed her and wrapped her arms around Aria's weeping shoulders. The best friends they were, Spencer already knew what Aria was going to say before she even said it. "You don't have to say it," she comforted her. Even before she went missing, Spencer could see the conflicted looks on Aria's face whenever she mentioned Jake or Ezra.

Suddenly, Spencer pulled away and a new, unreadable look passed on her face. Aria was instantly alarmed. "Spence, what is it?"

"I have something to tell you." Spencer's lips formed a strict line. "And you're not going to like it."

Aria shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tried to hide the warring emotions inside her. "What?"

Taking a deep breath, Spencer grabbed Aria's other hand so that she held both of them. "It's about Jake." The words tumbled out without another thought.

Aria's defined eyebrows rose and her lips parted in shock. "J-Jake?" she stammered unbelievably.

"He's Garrett's cousin," Spencer went on. "And Aria, I don't think he's in Rosewood to smash wooden boards with his fist."

"No," Aria said uncertainly while pulling her hands out of Spencer's. Her heart belonged to Ezra, she knew that, but a small part of it was growing fond of Jake, too. "You're lying."

Aria had a feeling she knew what Spencer was going to say before she opened her mouth. "Why would I lie to you?"

Speechless, Aria bit her bottom lip and glanced up at Toby, who looked equally as shocked from his spot at the counter.

When Aria didn't say anything, Spencer continued her story. "I was taking a break from all this college and Alison stuff and was doing some research on Garrett and his death." Licking her lips, she had to look away from Aria's shattered façade. "He commented once on the Facebook page."

"What's his motive?" Aria blurted out, panic settling in her chest. "Why me?"

"We all knew Garrett was just playing cop to cover his tracks," Spencer explained. "Maybe Jake is playing karate instructor to find out more. Maybe him and Garrett were close."

"Okay, if all you have on him is a bunch of weak leads, then why are we targeting him like he's some suspect?" Aria shrieked. She wished she could hide how freaked out she was from Spencer and Toby.

"It was all over the newspapers. It's not impossible if he may know you were in that box with Garrett's body," Spencer continued. When she grabbed Aria's hand again, she could feel her friend's pulse racing like crazy. "For all we know, he's trying to extract information from you." Aria jumped up from the couch and stumbled backwards, and Spencer stood up in response. "He could be trying to _hurt _you."

"H-hurt me?" Aria's eyes were wild. "I know Jake. He would never hurt me!"

"You think you know people," Spencer said, quoting Alison, "and then they surprise you."

A heavy silence covered the room, and it was too much of a burden for Aria. "Why would he hurt me?" she whispered, feeling weak and vulnerable for the first time in a long time. The last had been when she'd found Maggie and learned of Malcolm. And the time before that had been when her and the others had gotten arrested for tampering with evidence. And in all honesty…she hated feeling like someone could sneak up on her and make her keel over.

Spencer put a comforting hand on Aria's elbow and looked her directly in the eye. "Because he might think you had something to do with it."

Aria's mouth formed a perfect O-shape. "You think he might suspect _I _killed Garrett?"

"Not just you," Spencer said. "All of us." Then she quickly added, "He's probably done his research and made the connection. Ian, the bell tower… For all we know, if Garrett and Jake were close, he knows about the N.A.T. club. We were in the papers when Ian went missing, and again when we found the shovel, and again when Garrett was found dead. They're not coincidences."

Crushed, Aria crossed her arms across her chest. "If what you're saying is true…," she started. "…then Jake took advantage of my breakup with Ezra." A dense pit weighed down her stomach. "And even though we'd barely known each other, he asked me out after I kissed him. I thought it was because of the kiss…but maybe it was because I was easy to break."

Spencer stepped closer to Aria and put an arm around her, rubbing circles on her back. At first, Aria did nothing but stare quietly. But then she shrugged off Spencer, pushed past Toby, and collected her coat.

"There's something I have to do," she proclaimed. She was answered by the slam of the door behind her and greeted to the cool night air.

But she didn't feel it. She didn't feel anything but the numbness lodged in her heart, unwilling to thaw.


	5. An Unexpected Foe 5

**Chapter 5**

The flames crackling in the Hastings' fireplace was the only sound heard in the living room for a long while. After Aria had stormed out, Spencer had gone into shock, mainly because she knew just how impulsive her friend could be. And because she didn't _always_ know what her best friend was going to do—she wasn't a psychic or a witch—she didn't know whether to run after her or stay behind.

Toby, who'd been standing off to the side watching his girlfriend spiral downwards into her panic-induced state, inched closer before plopping down on the couch next to her. Warmly, he put an arm around her shoulder and held her close for comfort. When she made no attempt to smile or respond, he brushed aside a lock of loose hair so he could see her face more clearly. "What are you thinking about?"

Gulping, Spencer looked down at her lap and entwined her fingers with Toby's. "Just thinking," she said rather simply.

"Spencer," Toby sighed, a certain edge in his voice. "We both know thinking for you is a bad pastime activity."

Exhaling a pent-up breath, Spencer squeezed Toby's hand. "It's Aria, you know?" she mumbled. "She's…stupidly impulsive."

"Yeah," Toby agreed. That was definitely a word he would use to describe the girl he'd spent two days investigating with. "You've told me the stories."

"I'm just worried," Spencer admitted. "She might storm over to Jake, accuse him of something insane, and wind up hurt! He's practically all human muscle."

"I can take him," Toby offered while striking a Kung Fu pose, creating a laugh to erupt from Spencer. "I missed that sound."

With a broad grin on her face, Spencer met Toby's clear blue eyes. "I missed _you_."

"Are we going to have another argument about who missed the other the most?" Toby joked, scooting in closer so that their legs were touching.

Spencer bonked his knee with her own playfully. "I'm just stating the facts."

"I say we take at least one minute of no thinking," Toby suggested, his face now looming next to Spencer's. He was so close, she could feel the heat radiate off his skin.

"If I were to be impulsive," Spencer started while rubbing her nose against Toby's, "I'd do something like this."

Finally the tension broke apart and their lips met in a sweet, passionate kiss. It was everything Spencer had wished for when she thought she'd never see Toby again. A minute passed, then two, then three; and Spencer couldn't help but start thinking of Aria again.

She was breathless when she pulled away from Toby's embrace. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I'm getting worried again."

"Right," Toby said, clearing his throat and straightening out the new wrinkles in his shirt. As Spencer shrugged on a coat, he reluctantly added, "Continue this later?"

"Of course." The wide smile reappeared on Spencer's face, and she pecked him on the lips.

Realizing their fun wasn't going to restart soon, Toby got up from his seat with a sigh and asked, "Do you have a plan?"

"Maybe?" Spencer groaned, putting her head in her hands. "I have some ideas, but they're insane."

"Name one."

"Well, we all know there's one person aside from her mom who she trusts with her life." Quickly she added, "Even though he's her ex."

"Wait, you want to bring Mr. Fitz into this mess?" Toby was stunned. It was certainly a bold, risky move. Once involved with A, always involved with A—and as far as Toby knew, Ezra had no idea, and if he did, it was only an inkling.

"It worked that one time!" Spencer protested. "This is all about a guy Aria started dating because of him. In a way, it is like Jason." Toby still looked uncertain. "Look, it might be crazy. But we only have to tell him about Garrett and our suspicions, and he'll drive away in a puff of smoke. We don't even have to mention A."

"If you say so…," Toby muttered.

"Good!" Spencer exclaimed exuberantly, grabbing his arm and pulling him out the door. "Let's go!"

…

In all honesty, Aria had no idea how she was driving. Thank goodness it was nighttime and there weren't any cars around, otherwise Aria was certain she'd be dead in a crash.

Swerving around the corner, Aria tried to swallow down the panic rising in her throat. She'd suffered from anxiety her entire life, but Ezra had always been her shoulder to lean on in the rare times she slipped into an attack. And Aria was certain she couldn't breathe.

Through her dizzy state, she saw the forest parking lot. It was large and barren, so if A was stalking her, he or she would have a hard time hearing their conversation.

And there, standing in the middle, was Jake. He sent her a wave and a boyish grin, and she slammed on the brakes a bit too harshly as she came to a stop next to his vehicle. Stumbling out of the car, she felt herself shaking, and closed her eyes as another tremor made her bones clang together.

"Hey," Jake greeted her as she crossed her arms across her chest. Immediately he sensed her discomfort, and his eyebrows crinkled together. "Is something wrong?"

As soon as he took a step forward, Aria freaked and took a step back. "I'm fine!" she claimed and put a bit more distance between them—just to be safe. "But we need to talk."

"You're not fine," Jake objected, ignoring her serious tone. "You're trembling."

Licking her lips, Aria waited until after another tremor sent her teeth chattering to start speaking. "That's not important. Really."

"All right," Jake said, apprehensive. "If you say so."

Aria swallowed the lump in her throat. "Listen, Jake," she started. "There's something we need to discuss."

"Okay." So far, Jake didn't seem suspicious at all.

There was a rustle in the bushes, and Aria's head jerked back. "What was that?" she shrieked, paranoid.

"It was probably just a raccoon," Jake said. "Why are you so jumpy? Is this not secluded enough for you?"

Again, there was another rustle, but it wasn't as loud as the first one. Heart hammering in her chest, she shook her head before she could even process anything.

"I know this great spot not too far from here," Jake suggested. "We can take a boat out on the lake."

Aria knew that she was going to regret it, but she agreed to avoid any more suspicion that she knew something she shouldn't. "Sure," she squeaked and put on a fake smile.

Meanwhile, Spencer was driving psychotically fast down the road as Caleb tried to track down Aria's location. On the way to Ezra's, she and Toby had been joined by Hanna, Caleb, and Emily after thinking, "The more, the merrier!" By the time she'd explained everything, the three girls had bombarded Ezra at his apartment.

"Aria's with Jake and we think he's dangerous," Spencer had blurted out right when Emily and Hanna had quieted down. And just like she'd predicted, Ezra had picked up his jacket and ran out the door like there was no tomorrow.

"Have you tracked her yet?" Spencer asked frantically.

"No, it's loading," Caleb said, obviously stressed.

"Can you make it load faster?" Emily screeched. Out of all of them, she was picturing the worst of scenarios.

"Got it!" Caleb exclaimed, almost making Spencer slam on the brakes in fear that he was warning her about some innocent possum crossing the street. A perplexed look crossed his face. "She's in the middle of the forest." He zoomed in so that there was a better image. "At the lake."

"What in the world is she doing?" Spencer mumbled as Hanna added some profanities to try and stop herself from crying.

The lake water was freezing, Aria had noticed after skimming her fingers through the still surface. "Wow, that's cold." With that, she barked out a laugh.

"Don't worry, you won't fall in," Jake reassured her as he entered a shed Aria hadn't noticed before and took out a rowboat. Obviously people came here all the time—in the summer. Grunting, he slid it into the water and offered her his hand. "You coming?"

Horrid memories of Hanna and Lucas at the lake chilled her to the bone. She told herself that it was unlikely this would be a repeat of that.

Reluctantly, Aria took it.

Spencer was nearing the parking lot, and she could make out two cars in the near distance. "That's Aria's," Spencer confirmed. Shuddering, she also said, "And Jake's."

After parking, Caleb and Spencer filed out of the front seats, and Toby and Emily followed from the seats behind. Wiping her nose with her sweater sleeve, Hanna tagged behind Mr. Fitz as he anxiously longed to pursue the four teenagers already at the edge of the forest. "I'm sorry I stained your shirt, Mr. Fitz," she apologized, more in an attempt to lighten the mood than anything else.

Ezra put on a forced smile. "That's all right, Hanna," he said while slamming the door behind her and tagging along with the others. "Let's go."

Being out in the middle of the lake was calming and unsettling at the same time. It was calming in the sense that for Aria, A wouldn't be able to get her out here without making a splash. But what made it unsettling was that she was out there with Jake.

"Jake, I need to ask you something," Aria interrupted the peace and quiet and got straight down to business. "And I need you to be totally honest with me."

Nonchalantly, Jake stopped rowing and looked her straight in the eye. "All right."

"Did you know Garrett Reynolds?" As soon as she said those words, she wished she could shove them back in her mouth.

A wave of something Aria had never seen on Jake's face before passed over his features. Now she felt what Ezra was talking about: the discomfort, the uncertainty. She squirmed in the wooden seat and pressed her tongue against the back of her teeth and tapped her fingers to release tension. If she panicked now, she'd never get the full story.

"Yes," Jake replied after a rather long, unsettling silence. "He was my cousin."

"I know," Aria whispered. He said nothing after that. "I'm, uh, sorry. It was horrible what happened to him."

"No, I'm sorry." There was a strange gruff in his voice. "For you being the one to find him."

Aria's blood ran cold. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. Was there any safe way out of this? "I don't know how I got there," Aria stammered, "but I didn't know he was dead until I saw him next to me."

"That must've been horrifying," he commented.

"Yeah." Aria stared off at the calm waters, lost in thought. "It was."

Another silence engulfed the two, only to be disrupted by Aria's worst fears: "Ian, then Garrett… I heard about Jason, too." This was definitely not the Jake she knew. "You and all your friends were there. Do you know anything?"

Aria gulped, her eyes darting to the shore for any sign of human life. Would anybody hear her if she screamed?

"I know that Ian, Garrett, and Jason were good friends," Aria responded coolly. "And how Garrett wasn't the one who killed Alison, but Jenna thought he was."

"Are you sure that's all you know?" Aria scanned the shoreline again as Jake sounded more and more threatening. "Because I think differently."

Aria was no Spencer, but she started to question what she would do if she was. So, summoning up her friend's courage, she repositioned herself more comfortably on the boat's bench and glared at Jake straight in the eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Chuckling—that wasn't a good, or sane, sign. He leaned forward and stared at her, and unconsciously she scooted farther back. It was all to intimidate her, she thought, but nothing could calm her frightened nerves. "I think you and your pretty friends know who killed him."

"Aria!" she heard someone shout, and her gaze met the many people running out of the woods. Relief settling through her veins, she realized it was Spencer.

"Were you close?" Aria asked, collecting as much information as possible to report back to her friends. But she never got an answer.

Unexpectedly his hand shot out to painfully grab her wrist, and Aria, acting out of alarm, stood up and yanked him away. "What are you—," Jake started, but he didn't have time to finish before the whole boat tipped over and sent the two over the edge.

For Aria, she only had enough time to scream before her body plunged into the cold, dark abyss of the lake. Was this how Hanna had felt when the same thing happened with Lucas? Only, Lucas wasn't accusing her of something as horrid as murder.

Struggling, she was barely able to see with the bubbles surrounding her and blocking out the moonlight. For a second she thought she saw Jake swimming away in the other direction. She was rapidly losing air, and her stupid sleeve was caught in something she couldn't make out in the dark.

"Aria!" Spencer screamed as she saw her friend tumble into the lake, making quite a splash. Emily yelled too, and so did Hanna, but all the girls were trapped in the same bubble of dread as they waited for Aria to appear at the surface.

"Oh my God, she's not appearing!" Hanna cried as she burst into panicked tears, and Caleb wrapped an arm around her shoulder looking just as anxious.

After a few torturous seconds of processing what was happening, Ezra was about ready to jump in, but before he could Toby had already beaten him to it. He swam faster than he ever had, mainly because a good friend was in danger and also because he didn't want to stay in the cold much longer.

Meanwhile, Aria kept tugging at whatever had her stuck, and she tried to stick her head above the water to catch a breath, but for some reason she couldn't make it quite as far. Splotches covered her vision, but she kept fighting anyway, something she was renowned for.

Then a miracle happened. She felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist and pull her up, and whatever had her stuck snapped and let her go. Gasping for fresh air, Aria panted as her light head cleared up and she blinked the spots away to see Toby swimming her to safety.

"T-thank you," she stuttered, despite the fact her lungs burned.

"Oh, thank God," Spencer sobbed when Toby and Aria reached the shoreline, and she bent down to help the duo out. Instantly Aria collapsed on the cool earth and a warm jacket too large for her frame draped over her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Ezra and sent him a small smile.

Soon she was being hugged by her three best friends, all crying into her shoulders while Caleb thanked Toby, who was soaking wet. Tears pricked at Aria's eyes, and she inhaled sharply and leaned her cheek on Spencer's head. "I thought I could trust him."

"We know," Emily wept. Neither girl cared about the dirt, the mud, or the dripping water soaking through their clothes. Their friend was okay, and nothing else seemed that important.

As the fest continued, Ezra couldn't help but feel like a third wheel. He wanted to thank Toby, but he couldn't grasp the right words. Here he was surrounded by a bunch of teenagers, one he'd dated seriously and the others he'd only talked to briefly, and he just wanted to push the girls aside and embrace the only one that really mattered to him.

Aria readjusted her head on Spencer's and opened her watery eyes, her gaze catching Ezra's worried stare. Grinning, she helped the girls up on their feet and approached the awkward adult. "I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight."

"I heard about Jake and Garrett…and I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"Well, I am," Aria admitted too honestly, too harshly. Her bleary demeanor faded, though, and was replaced by a tiny sparkle of something he hadn't seen in a while. "I'm glad you came, though."

"You know there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, right?"

An expansive smile spread on Aria's lips, and she nodded her head, breaking their sparking stare-down. "Yeah," she answered. "I know."

"Look!" Spencer shouted and broke the moment. Aria jerked her head around and saw Spencer pointing to a shadowy figure on the other side, presumably Jake.

Toby and Caleb appeared ready to chase him down, but Aria put out a hand to stop them. "Let him go," she ordered while gazing at the dark, running shadow. "It's not worth it."

"Shall we head back, then?" Hanna suggested once her tears had dried up. Aria glanced at each of the girls with a warm beam on her face. Boy, did she have some ballsy friends. "Yeah," Aria responded. "Let's all go home and try to get a decent night's sleep."

Slowly the group headed back to the cars, first Hanna and Caleb with Emily, then Spencer and Toby, then Ezra. But Aria lingered behind, struggling for the right words. "It wasn't anything serious," she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Ezra turned around questionably. "What do you mean?"

"Me and Jake," she explained. "We were more friends than anything…more."

Surprisingly, a boyish grin dawned on Ezra's features. However, Aria fell into confusion. "What are you smiling about?"

"Just how I jumped to conclusions before hearing the real story," he admitted bravely. It took a lot of courage for anyone to confess to jealousy. "Honestly, I wasn't over…losing you."

"Me neither," Aria whispered. A small tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand quickly.

"Come on," Ezra said gently. He gave her his hand, which she took gratefully. "Before the others wonder where we are."

"Keep them guessing," Aria joked, and the two shared the first bout of laughter in three weeks.


End file.
